When it was my turn at the display case I saw the egg rolls in all their mighty. Golden-brown vessels of joy stared at me through that streaky glass. I felt like I was buying a puppy from one of those puppy mills in the mall. These egg rolls deserved better. I don’t even think the case was refrigerated; it was certainly not a proper home for these adorable delectables. I must take them to their real home… my belly. I ordered one of each that sounded halfway appealing: corned beef, cabbage and Swiss, Italian sausage and peppers, a Philly cheese steak, and a pastrami and Swiss egg roll. My compadre was even more daring than I and ordered 3 deviled eggs for a dollar to accompany his array of egg rolls.

I have to admit at first I was skeptical of the place and downright petrified with regard to the presumed quality of the food but I fell in love with the restaurant and its confused identity. It looks and feels like a Chinese restaurant with the requisite sign that doesn’t make sense, but the ingenious restaurateurs responsible for Asian Corned Beef & Ocean spared us the MSG and filled those golden vessels with what America loves: fattening meats and cheeses. America!

I devoured all four eggs rolls and must say that each was superb, but the grand champion egg roll was certainly the corned beef, Swiss, and cabbage. I highly recommend this fine eatery on the eastside for the adventurous eater and the person looking for the authenticity that makes Detroit great. So the next time you are on your way to the swap meet, be sure to pick up some Asian Corned Beef egg rolls for your friends because it ain’t no fun if your homey can’t have none.

P.S. If anyone discovers why “and Ocean” is on the sign, then you will have unlocked one of the greatest mysteries in present day Detroit. And I will buy you as many $2 egg rolls as you can eat in one sitting.

The goal of the Green Dot Stables is to provide their guests with great food, great service, and a great atmosphere, all at a great price—and boy do they deliver!! Recently, some friends and I contemplated where to meet for lunch in Detroit on a Friday afternoon, the deciding factor ended up being the two free menu item coupons offered up by my friend, Michael, who had recently won them at “Baconfest”. After checking Green Dot out on Yelp and finding out that nothing on the menu is over $3, I chided Michael for his “generosity”—but now I owe him BIG TIME for finding one of the best new “gems” in Detroit.

Located at 2200 Lafayette, in southwest Detroit, industrial buildings line the street where the Green Dot Stables, a former blind pig, sits. The restaurant is a single-story, non-descript building; as we pulled into the parking lot, I didn’t have high expectations for great dining experience.
Upon entering, you are welcomed by the friendly staff and the cozy atmosphere that the windowless exposed brick pub-style setting provides. When we arrived at 12 noon, there were two other tables seated; by the time it was 12:30pm, the place was hoppin’.

The chef is an alum of Michael Simon’s Roast at the Book Cadillac and it definitely shows in the creativity of the menu. Gourmet sliders, in many incarnations, are the featured item on the menu, but the side dishes are fantastic too. I ordered the chicken paprikash soup and sour cream and cucumbers to go with my cheeseburger—both are family recipes; you know how it is, the restaurant version is never as good as your own, but the Green Dot’s take on both dishes were amazing. I tasted my friend’s kale and was blown away; it was absolutely delicious…and I hate kale! I don’t know what they did to it, but I can’t wait to go back and order it for myself. The bottom line is I wanted to order one of everything, and at $2-$3 per item– you practically can!

Here’s Ken’s awesome review:

1701 Cigar Bar & Lounge
140 Cadillac Sq., (313) 223-2626
www.1701cigar.com

Whether you’re a pink lung or a stogie connoisseur, you’ll feel at home at this well-appointed downtown cigar lounge. The bar is a great place to bump elbows with local powerbrokers and spans two floors. The first floor, which is laden with elegant woodwork, features over-stuffed leather furniture, a fine bar, and a walk-in humidor, while the large, open, exposed-brick basement hosts a variety of jazz and blues shows on its intimate stage. With a vast array of Claros, Colorados, Maduros, and Oscuros for sale in the on-site humidor, even the most discerning cigar enthusiast will find a suitable nic stick to go along with one of the many fine scotches available. Although nearly impossible to do so, don’t miss the t-rex-scale sexy lip smoking sculpture above the bar. Cigar smoking is allowed indoors or on the patio.

Runners-up prizes go to Laura Kramer, Megan P., Alok Sharma, and Ryan Healy. Congratulations to all the winners and a huge thanks to everyone for participating!

Tell me about the first time you tried acupuncture…
The first time I tried acupuncture was pretty wild. I was living in Maryland at the time, and was looking into acupuncture as a new career path. I was kind of skeptical about the idea that there was “qi” or energy moving about your body, but I was curious, so I visited a practitioner in Bethesda, which was about an hour from me– she was supposed to be very good.

She asked me a couple of questions, and then I hopped on the massage table for my treatment. She practiced a Japanese style of acupuncture called Toyohari, which is a very advanced non-insertion needling technique. Basically, she hovered a needle slightly above my foot, at a point I later learned is called ‘Foot Above Tears’, and all of the sudden I feel this wave travel up my body, and I burst out crying. It was a really powerful experience.

After that, I saw her a couple more times and I was pretty much sold. I don’t know if I’ve been able to conjure a similar emotional release in many of my clients, but the idea of facilitating emotional healing–and how it relates to physical healing–really inspired me to become an acupuncturist.

I’ve been receiving acupuncture for about 10 years (practicing for about 5 of those years), and acupuncture has been the most useful in helping my emotions to flow better, keeping me more balanced, and allowing me to process things without getting stuck emotionally. When I was going through my divorce, I am quite certain that acupuncture is what kept me sane and actually quite peaceful throughout the ordeal. And that’s really what acupuncture is about, it’s about letting things flow; illness basically comes from stagnation.

What were you doing when you were exploring acupuncture ?
I was a stay at home mom to my son, and I was also studying with a midwife, and was very involved with the natural birth scene in Baltimore. Although I love the midwifery model, it was a little too intense and demanding for me–the life/death aspect and always being on-call. It just didn’t seem like a good fit for me and my family at the time.

I knew I wanted to work with women,(the word midwifery means “with women”), but the question was, in what capacity could I best do that? I became interested in Chinese medicine because it’s a system that doesn’t just look at fixing illness; it really looks at how to create wellness in a person wholistically–body, mind, and spirit.

For years I studied Western herbs on my own, but it seemed like something was missing in my studies. Often, when you read about herbs, the text will say “this herb is great for x illness/problem” or “instead of taking an over-the-counter remedy or medication, try this herb”. But I wanted to understand why an herb works or doesn’t work for different people. In the Chinese medicine system, you look at each person’s unique constitution and their pattern of illness and then you look for a way to bring harmony through herbs that match that individual person’s needs. This made a lot of sense to me, and from there I came to learn about other aspects of Chinese medicine, like nutrition and acupuncture.

Do you think that believing in it is a precondition, like the more mentally accepting you are of acupuncture, the more physically receptive you are to it?
I don’t know– but a common response to this type of question is that animals respond to acupuncture, and animals don’t know what it is. Actually, my acupuncture school (Tai Sophia Institute) has an animal acupuncture program for learning how to treat horses, dogs, and cats.

In my own practice, a majority of people come in and are kind of skeptical, kind of weirded out, many times they’ve tried all the Western medical options, and acupuncture is a last resort. So they’re simultaneously open and skeptical. I will say that people who are more open to holistic things seem to be more aware of the changes that they are experiencing as they receive acupuncture treatment. But, in general, it seems to work whether or not you believe. I think the biggest determining factor is whether the person is actively committed and invested in feeling better and staying well. When people just want to be “fixed” but aren’t wiling or open to lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, relationships, mindset), what I do is not going to be as effective over the long-term.
Growing up were there any early signs that this is something you would be interested in?
Well, when I look back at my childhood, I can see that my mom had “hippie tendencies”. She meditated regularly (and still does) and she would have the kids in the neighborhood over our house to meditate. I grew up in Detroit, in a lower class neighborhood. A lot of those kids still remember meditating on the porch with my mom. So I grew up around that, and healthy food and herbs and the idea that you create your own destiny and the power of affirmations, among other things… I remember regularly drinking goldenseal tea when I was 5 or 6 because my mom thought it would help my eczema. We almost always used herbs first for any health issue.

Also, I was somewhat sheltered from the negativity in our neighborhood; I didn’t have many neighborhood friendsand attended private schools up until high school. I think that gave me the freedom to explore things that were considered different or weird without peer pressure to be like everyone else. Also I think leaving Michiganand going to college where I could be in a diverse environment, gave me the freedom to continue to explore and to be around people who were also curious and open-minded.

Coming back to Detroit as an acupuncturist, were you apprehensive of the market here, or what it meant to be an adult in Detroit, even though your family is here?
I did a bit of research, but it was pretty obvious that there wasn’t a lot of activity or awareness of acupuncture here, compared to Maryland. When I first moved here, I was involved with the Community Acupuncture Network and there are 3 fairly new community acupuncture clinics in the Detroit area that have really helped grow awareness of acupuncture here in Michigan. Unfortunately, the statehasn’t yet licensed acupuncturists in Michigan (I’m licensed through Maryland). It’s kinda backwards, because almost every other state recognizes and licenses acupuncturists. Anyway, it’s really a challenge to increase awareness and educate people about the benefits of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. And then you have to encourage people to somehow get over their reluctance to try something weird like being stuck with little needles, even though the slight discomfort of acupuncture needles is far less than that extreme back pain they’ve been having for the last 10 years.

What do you think the next need is for Detroit in this realm? Is there even a school for acupuncture in Michigan?
There is not presently a school in Michigan. However, there is the Michigan Association of Acupuncture, which has been pushing for regulation and for licensure. Recently, the state proposed to deregulate a range of professions, acupuncture and landscape architecture included, so it seems like things are now at a standstill.

It does seem to help when there is a local school– my school–Tai Sophia Institute–was very instrumental in creating the regulation and licensure of acupuncturists in Maryland. In lieu of these regulatory issues, I’ve been trying to connect with other alternative healthcare providers in the city, in the region, to develop combined programs and offerings that help introduce new people to acupuncture and other alternative health services, like pairing yoga with acupuncture. I’m currently doing a program called AcuFlow for Urbanistas (www.acuflowdetroit.org) which is a community acupuncture and yoga series for women.

So if I’m curious about acupuncture, and I would like to come for my first appointment, what does it mean? Is it gonna hurt?
No. The thing is, I am very sensitive to newbies, so I try to make the first appointments very gentle. I tend to save the more ‘ouchy’ points, if needed, for later treatments when clients are less nervous and more accustomed to the sensations. The needles are just slightly thicker than a cat’s whisker. They are very flexible, very thin, so there is little to no pain. People sometimes feel a sensation that travels beyond the needle insertion point–which usually indicates that there is some movement of qi happening in this channel. Sometimes people feel a little bit of initial discomfort, but once all the needles are inserted, most people become very relaxed and often fall asleep during treatment. If you just want to release some stress, or have an acute issue, (like indigestion) one treatment might be okay. But if you’re dealing with any chronic issue, acupuncture is going to be more effective, given a minimum course of 4-6 treatments.

Do you have any areas of specialty?
My main focus right now is on women’s health, reproductive health. Acupuncture and herbs can really be helpful for a woman’s physical and emotional health, which are obviously very connected. I’m very interested in helping women feel more empowered and more ease as they go through life’s challenges so they don’t experience so much unnecessary physical and emotional suffering.

Any summertime tips?

The summer energy is all about connection and fun, which makes sense– most of us (even introverts like me!) want to be out there and having fun, hanging out with friends/family– so, yeah, do more of that! Get out there, get some sun– everyone needs more vitamin D. As far as food, the color for summer is red, so eating a lot of red fruits and vegetables, tomatoes, cherries, watermelon, strawberries, beets, they are all super good for the body during the summer and tend to cool the body too. Its pretty easy to eat well in the summer, especially if you’re buying locally, from farmer’s markets and such.

More information about Jalyn is available at www.risingstaracupuncture.com and www.acuflowdetroit.org

While our friends abroad heard Detroiters are reconsidering their purchasing patterns, they must have missed the “Import from Detroit” campaign because they are set on trying to sell us goods from afar. In fact, all their comments for the blog include ads for everything from laser spinal disc surgery to high school quarterbacks to be recruited (see Wordle above for a graphical summary).

Our international friends seem primarily concerned that we each have someone with which to share our lives. While true 8-milers will keep it local by opting for the Meet Local Singles ad or at least Meet Local Cheating Wives, others have a bounty of other choices from around the world, including:
• Meet Asian singles from around the world
• Date Sexy Dominican Women
• Russian women live video. The ad promises you can “see and talk to your new Russian Bride Live” – that’s two out of five senses!
• Over 50 and Single? Option to combine with ads for Carol Burnett and Dean Martin Show DVDs.
• Meet Military Singles
• Interracial Dating Only
• Meet Single Cyclists. Those interested should also check out ads for bikes, helmets, and performance underwear.

If you are fortunate enough to have settled down with that special someone and started a family, end your frustration with Detroit Public Schools by pursuing an alternative approach:
• Slightly non-standard –> State Testing in Schools
• Somewhat non-standard –> Home School
• Very non-standard –> Take Jewelry Design Courses at the Gemological Institute of America

No matter how you decide to educate your children, ensure they are active and healthy by organizing a Jump rope school assembly. Mark Rothstein (pictured below), a member of the National Fitness Hall of Fame, has conducted 10,000+ assemblies over 27 years. His website features compelling testimonials from happy, school-age customers, such as:

• “I can go backwards, Super Sonic fast.” – Hannah, age 5½
• “I like watching Mark jump rope because he does tricks and it makes me want to be like him.” – David, age 9

And who wouldn’t want to their children to grow up to be just like Mark.

When ever you’re looking for that extra edge on the court, Professional Racquet Services (on Livernois just north of Outer Drive) is Detroit’s premier spot to fulfill all of your tennis, squash, racquetball and badminton needs. In fact, according to the owner Michael Banks, PRS is “the ONLY tennis shop in Detroit.”

In my second visit to the best (and only) tennis shop in Detroit, my purpose was clear: the time had arrived to step up my game and purchase a new racquet. Immediately, I was overwhelmed by the wide selection of racquets that are grouped by age into new models, 1-2 years old, 3-5 years old, and “collector” for the cash-conscious shopper.

After declaring my intentions to find the perfect new racquet, Michael patiently answered all of my questions about weight, balance, grip, length, and head size. Yes, we were talking about tennis racquets—not comparing manly-parts (get your head out of the gutter).

You’re a Friend Right?

As I was testing the feel of and trying to find the one that felt just right, another customer came in and after saying hello, asked Michael, “Where’s your wife today?”

To which Michael jokingly replied, “Why do you need to come in here and ask about my wife?”

“Because when she’s around, you behave yourself.”

A friendly conversation shifted from discussing the region’s best tennis players to wondering why all the “kids” were giving up on the superior one-handed backhand for the increasingly popular two-handed backhand. I was forced to admit that I prefer the two-handed alternative, regardless of its supposed inferiority.

Then came a phone call—which Michael seems to always answer on speaker phone. When asked what he was doing he answered, “Just stringing a racquet here with a friend.” He immediately looked at me and asked, “You are a friend, right?” I had to nod in agreement, since he most certainly treats everyone that comes into the store like a friend.

So with that friendly spirit in-mind, I did my duty to ask him a few questions for this post.

Favorite players? No question: Arthur Ashe and Serena Williams.

Favorite active player? Roger Federer. He’s got the serve, volley, all-around dynamic game.

Best active player? Rafael Nadal.

Best places to play tennis in Detroit? Palmer Park, Belle Isle, and Metro Racquet Club. It used to be the 24 courts at Farwell Recreation Center, but now they have been vandalized pretty badly.

Highlights of your shop? We sell products for all major racquet-sports, one-hour service for stringing racquets, kids and adult lessons, and have an entire room devoted to discount items.

An hour later…

After browsing the store and picking up somewhere around 30 different racquets, I finally found the one that I was certain would help me transform from a casual amateur into a full-fledged professional. It was the “baby bear’s porridge” of tennis racquets—it felt just right (not to mention I liked the matte finish and color scheme).

While Michael set to stringing the new stick, I took a little jaunt over to Mike’s Fresh Market down the street to pick up a few things for dinner. The only thing that needs to be said about Mike’s is that it shatters the myth that Detroit is a so-called “food desert.” It has everything you would ever need to make a delicious healthy meal at home. So if your dinner doesn’t turn out right (as it was in my case) it won’t be that you couldn’t find the right ingredients, rather your own inability to cook (as it was in my case).

So I head back to the shop to pick up my racquet. On my way out, in recognition of the amount of time I ended up spending in the store, Michael asks me if I remembered to punch my time card.

“Thanks Michael. Will I be getting paid then?” I hoped.

“That’s ‘Mister’ Michael Banks now.”

Located at the corner of Fort Street and Washington Boulevard in Downtown Detroit, PenzDetroiT is one of the most unique independently owned and operated businesses in the city and the entire Metro Detroit area. In business for 28 years, the proprietor Alex Lebarre specializes in “Fine Writing Instruments and Premium Business Cases.” Although his store may seem somewhat small, Alex’s shop is very well stocked with top notch merchandise. Looking around his shop and talking with him, you get the feeling that he has no interest in fads or what is trendy and has decided to focus on traditional, high-quality items instead.

On the writing instruments side, Alex stocks long established names such as Waterman, Parker, Pelikan, Aurora, Sheaffer, Montegrappa, along with some newer companies like Retro 51 and Libelle. Although fountain pens are the obvious focus, he also carries rollerball pens and mechanical pencils. Browsing the colorful array of pens in the display cases is a unique experience for sure, and if you’re not familiar with fine pens be prepared for sticker shock if you look closely at some of the higher-end fountain pens Alex offers. That said, his shop is free of pretension or any high pressure sales tactics. If you’re just looking for a reasonably priced, functional pen and a nice pad for taking notes at the office or in class, Alex has you covered.

After deciding to buy my first real fountain pen, I walked into his shop and asked for suggestions in my price range. After discussing my preferences and suggesting a handful or different models to try, I settled on a Waterman Phileas, a bottle of Diamine Sapphire Blue ink, and notebooks from Rhodia and Clairefontaine.

So why use a fountain pen over a disposable ballpoint pen? The first and most obvious reason is that it’s a lot easier on your hands because little to no pressure is used when writing. A decent fountain pen will simply glide over the paper with very little effort, which pretty much eliminates hand-cramping during an extended writing session. The wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and nib types available in fountain pens means you can find something that is suited to your individual preferences both in terms of style and ergonomics. Beyond that, using a fountain pen is “greener” because much less waste is generated, especially if you use bottled ink. Even a smaller bottle of ink gives you a great deal of refills that can last over many uses, and the glass bottle can be re-used or recycled when you’re done. Beyond that, fountain pens just look a hell of lot interesting than your average pen.

If you’re a frequent traveler that’s tired of cheap luggage that falls apart or you need a nice briefcase for work, you might want to peruse the briefcase and luggage selections at PenzDetroiT as well. Alex’s store is one of only two shops in Metro Detroit that stocks Rimowa Luggage and also has a nice selection of briefcases and business bags from names such as Bosca, Korchmar, Schlesinger, and Lodis.

Alex says, “As I have learned through the years people would ask if I had “designer” bags (usually cheap and/or poor quality). I try to show them many of the items I carry are designed and manufactured by the brands I carry. A big chain’s thin leather briefcase is no match for a belting leather case that can be given to the next generation.”

PenzDetroiT is currently offering a 20% discount on all in-store items. For all you 8 Milers out there reading this post, mention Trevor and get another 10% off until September! PenzDetroiT is open 8am-6pm weekdays, with Thursday being open 8am-8pm. During the holiday the store is open Saturdays from Thanksgiving until Christmas. 

Q&A with Alex Lebarre, Proprietor of PenzDetroiT

With the migration of so many people and businesses to the suburbs over the years, what is it that keeps you in downtown Detroit? This is sort of a media urban legend. There are more people in the downtown area than when I started. Yes, there are areas in the city with very few homes and services but not counting the newly trendy Midtown area go to Southwest Detroit on any day and tell me nothing is happening. Also, many people use the ‘67 unrest to lay blame to the decline of population while the facts are it started to happen much sooner (which all cities have had to deal with) when the many factory workers found they could get a new big house on a large lot [in the suburbs] for the same [price] as their 1920 city home. But don’t get me started. Back to me, I was born in Detroit and enjoy the mix of people I see unlike the fake, sanitized mall/big box areas.

Can you describe the demographics of your clientele in terms of age, profession, etc.? Customers from a young person with their first nice pen to collectors. I am in the finance area downtown, so yes, bankers and lawyers. New customers are seeing that instead of throwing a pen away you can reuse it over and over.

How do new customers find out about your store? Is it through personal referrals and word of mouth? Word of mouth is always great. Also, if you know a brand of pen or case and went to the manufacturer’s website, I try to be listed there.

I’m under the impression that fountain pens seem to have had a resurgence in popularity over the last few years…is this true? If so, why do you think that is? Fountain pens have always had a following and many people outside this country are still taught writing with fountain pens.

What would you say are the most common misconceptions around fountain pens? Many people think they are messy or mistakenly think all fountain pens are just calligraphy pens for fancy writing.

What are some of your personal favorite pens? Well I guess the first nice one I got (i still have it), a Waterman Ideal in royal blue. I like many of the hand-painted pens which are really works of art on their own.

What are some of your most popular writing instrument related products? This would have to be paper/stationary items.

Heck Windsor is too a suburb. It’s closer to Detroit than Royal Oak!

I am a Dual citizen. I lived in Windsor and would cross the border every day to work here in the city and like too many suburbanites, I had very little positive to say about Detroit. Actually I took every opportunity that I could to trash this town to anyone that would listen.

And yet, here I am. Not just a Detroit resident, but a Detroit homeowner. And I could not be happier with my decision to move here.

I live on the EAST side of the city. Just off of Alter and Jefferson Ave. When I first moved here I did so believing that I would spend the majority of my shopping time and dollars in ‘The Village’ (downtown Grosse Pointe). After two years I am shocked to discover that I rarely have go outside of Detroit to fill my needs. I am fully able to shop and function with variety and reasonable choices not just in the city, but close to where I live and work!

Let me back up a minute. I live in a very unique community. There are several canals that cut into the city and I live on one of them. There are two inland islands here (Harbor Island and Klenk Island) that people live on, parks, the Fisher Mansion (the Hari Krishna mansion) and just… everything! The area is quiet, friendly and mostly by long term home owners.

Anyways, I have access to two late night drugstores, several grocery stores including an Aldi (the chain that owns Trader Joe’s), clothing stores, shoe stores, a radio shack is on the corner, a 24 hour Subway on one corner and an ice cream shoppe on the other, good Chinese food restuarant, a Secretary of State, a dentist, a Comerica, a PNC, a hardware store, some of the cheapest gas in the city, a Gamestop, an auto parts shop, a few reasonable auto repair shops… and on and on and on. Just within four blocks of me on the Detroit side.

In Midtown the options are endless, from Avalon bakery, to Goodwell’s foods, to The DIA, DFT, The DSO and so many places to spend the day. You want to have a crazy Friday night on the town? Take a cab on down to Midtown and go bar hopping. The Majestic, Union Street, The Old Miami, The Bronx, The Whitney are all within walking (stumbling) distance. Or head a little further down and hit the swanky Cliff Bell’s, Centaur, Park Bar and Town Pump. But be sure that you dress to impress!
Heck, even back by my place there is Ye Olde Tap Room and Marshal’s bar. Two great dive bars that have character, charm and great folks to sit and talk to. Ye Olde Tap Room has quite the beer selection too.

The area has something for the outdoorsman as well. Hit Mariner’s Park fantastic fishing. Inside the city limits! Take a kayak tour of the canals. Yes a kayak tour. It is dirt cheap and a completely new way to see parts of the city that you probably never knew existed. They start at the Fisher Mansion (which you can take guided tours of and take yoga on the grounds) and take all afternoon.

Take the 8below8 challenge. You will surprise yourself.